Infection prevention concept

Contributed by Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services 

Concerns persist about a “tripledemic” U.S. winter, as COVID-19, RSV, and influenza spread at an exponential rate. Through mid-February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 24 states and Washington D.C. are reporting high or very high levels of respiratory and flu illness activity.

Whether in school, at your office, church or other public areas, keeping your surroundings clean and disinfected will be key in keeping you and your family healthy when they gather to celebrate the holidays. Commercial cleaning companies like Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services stand ready to handle that for you and reduce the risks to your loved ones.

While new vaccines continue to roll out and flu shots are available, respiratory syncytial virus vaccines continue to be in short supply. And the CDC expects hospitalizations during this season will continue to be high, mirroring that of last season.

Those with the highest risk — elderly populations, young children and those with compromised immune systems – have the most to gain from clean spaces around them. As families gather during the holidays in confined spaces, they can easily become carriers of disease.

Vaccines alone won’t keep Americans healthy during the fall and winter months. The need for thorough commercial cleaning in offices, schools, medical facilities, nursing homes and churches will be of significant importance on the front lines to prevent the spread of these viruses. One vital aspect of this effort is maintaining a clean and hygienic environment.

With more workers increasingly back in an office setting, more frequent high-touch area disinfection and electrostatic disinfection services are worth considering. Office Pride’s professional cleaners high-touch area disinfection services kill the pathogens that cause the respiratory illnesses that can live on doorknobs, light switches, sinks and more by wiping down surfaces with EPA-approved chemicals.

Common areas, personal spaces and hard-to-reach corners and crevices in the workplace are perfect areas that can use electrostatic disinfection treatments. Electrostatic sprayers are effective in fighting the spread of germs that cause COVID-19, flu and other respiratory illnesses.

The use of the appropriate cleaning products also makes a significant difference. While routine cleaning is the first step in this process, thoroughly disinfecting surfaces should be next on the list. Using professionally trained commercial cleaners goes a long way in protecting your workers and customers during the volatile season.

To be most effective, Office Pride’s cleaners observe necessary dwell times, or the length of time disinfectants need to remain on surfaces to kill germs. They know it doesn’t take much for any of these viruses to spread through a workplace or public area and cause major productivity issues.

An effective cleaning plan also includes wiping and disinfecting high-touch surfaces such as faucets, doorknobs, light switches and countertops. Routine cleaning removes a virus, along with soil that may harbor germs. Disinfecting with a proven disinfectant product will kill the remaining germs. High-touch electronic items, such as phones and computer keyboards, should be cleaned frequently with disinfecting wipes.

Other measures to prevent the spread of the flu, COVID-19 and RSV viruses include washing hands frequently with soap and water, sanitizer use, vaccinations, covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, avoiding sick people and staying home when you are sick.